Abdelaziz Benhoussa

Autumn body condition of Palaearctic trans-Saharan migrant passerines at an oasis in southeast Morocco

To improve knowledge of the different migratory strategies used by European trans-Saharan migrants to cross the Sahara Desert in autumn and the role of desert oases, we collected field data on body condition and stopover behaviour at Yasmina, a tiny oasis in southeast Morocco. Of 13 species studied, those best adapted to dry habitats, with breeding ranges mostly in the Mediterranean or North Africa and wintering in the Sahel (Saharan Olivaceous Warbler Iduna pallida reiseri, Western Olivaceous Warbler Iduna opaca, Subalpine Warbler Sylvia cantillans and, perhaps, Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin Cercotrichas galactotes), arrived at Yasmina with, at best, moderate fuel loads but appeared to be the most prepared to refuel en route to their winter quarters; at least part of the population of the Reed Warbler Acrocephalus scirpaceus seemed to follow a similar strategy. Strategies were more diverse among species linked more to mesophilic vegetation; Common Redstart Phoenicurus phoenicurus, Garden Warbler Sylvia borin and Blackcap S. atricapilla tended to arrive with enough fuel reserves to reach the Sahel without additional fattening, but Willow Warbler Phylloscopus trochilus, Spotted Flycatcher Muscicapa striata and Pied Flycatcher Ficedula hypoleuca carried only intermediate fuel loads, which were in most cases insufficient to avoid further refuelling. Although feeding en route may play an intrinsic part of the migratory strategy of the Spotted Flycatcher it remains unclear whether or not this is the case in the other two species.

Etude entomologique de cinq foyers de leishmaniose cutanée dans la province de Sidi Kacem au nord du Maroc

Résumé. La leishmaniose cutanée est un important problème de santé publique dans la province de Sidi Kacem au nord-ouest du Maroc. Lincidence de cette affetion, due aussi bien à Leishmania tropica quà L. infantum est en augmentation progressive depuis 1997. La présente étude a été menée dans le but détudier lécologie et la dynamique des populations des vecteurs de cette maladie dans les principaux foyers de cette province. Un total de 4504 spécimens appartenant à deux genres et six espèces a été capturé à laide de pièges adhésifs et lumineux, dans cinq foyers. Les espèces dominantes sont Phlebotomus sergenti représentant 42,6% du total des phlébotomes capturés et P. longicuspis avec 27,2% des captures. Ces deux espèces sont présentes de mai à novembre et évoluent en deux générations avec deux pics de densité, le premier en juin et le second en septembre. En considérant la grande spécificité vecteur-parasite connue en épidémiologie des leishmanioses ainsi que labondance des espèces capturées pendant la saison favorable à la transmission, P. sergenti et P. longicuspis seraient respectivement les vecteurs les plus probables des leishmanioses à L. tropica et à L. infantum dans la région étudiée. Le risque de transmission de la maladie serait plus grand durant le deuxième pic de densité en fin été- début automne.

Cutaneous leishmaniasis in Ouazzane and Sidi Kacem provinces, Morocco (1997-2012)

Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is a major public health problem in Morocco. Three distinct parasites are involved; Leishmania tropica, Leishmania major and Leishmania infantum. The objective of this study is to investigate the epidemiological and the clinical features of endemic foci of CL in Sidi Kacem and Ouazzane provinces in the north of Morocco including molecular identification of parasites. We studied the evolution and the distribution of 1,656 CL cases coming from 39 sectors in these provinces between 1997 and 2012. The causative agents of CL in these areas were identified by using the ITS1-PCR-RFLP method. A tendency of seasonality in incidence was observed, showing a peak in April. Most infected patients were from Ouazzane province. The patients’ ages ranged from 6 months to 85 years; 54% of them were females. The highest rate lesions were found in the age group of 9 years or less and most lesions were localized in the face (79.6%). The movement of populations from neighboring endemic areas and establishment of habitation in areas where housing conditions are unfavorable favored the emergence of the disease.RésuméLa leishmaniose cutanée (LC) est un problème majeur de santé publique au Maroc. Trois parasites distincts sont impliqués: Leishmania tropica, Leishmania major et Leishmania infantum. L’objectif de cette étude est d’étudier l’épidémiologie et les caractéristiques cliniques des foyers endémiques de LC dans les provinces Sidi Kacem et Ouazzane au nord duMaroc, y compris l’identification moléculaire des parasites.Nous avons étudié l’évolution et la répartition de 1656 cas de LC provenant de 39 secteurs dans ces provinces entre 1997 et 2012. Les parasites responsables de la LC dans ces régions ont été identifiés en utilisant la méthode ITS1- PCR-RFLP. Une tendance à la saisonnalité de l’incidence a été observée, montrant un pic en avril. La plupart des patients infectés étaient de la province d’Ouazzane. L’âge des patients variait de 6 mois à 85 ans; 54 % d’entre eux étaient des femmes. Les taux les plus élevés des lésions ont été trouvés dans le groupe d’âge de 0 à 9 ans et la plupart des lésions étaient localisées sur le visage (79,6 %). Le mouvement des populations des régions endémiques voisines et l’installation des habitations dans les zones où les conditions de logement sont défavorables ont favorisé l’émergence de la maladie.

Vertical Distribution of Benthic Macrofauna in Intertidal Habitats Frequented by Shorebirds at Merja Zerga Lagoon

The distribution of shorebirds is strongly linked to the availability of their prey consisting mainly of benthic invertebrates, especially during wintering and migratory stopovers. To better understand the functioning of this trophic link benthos-shorebirds at intertidal mudflats, it is necessary to evaluate the vertical distribution and importance of the fraction of benthic macrofauna accessible to shorebirds at these habitats. Nineteen stations were sampled in the main mudflats frequented by birds. Samples were cut into three slices of 0–5xa0cm, 5–15xa0cm and >15xa0cm. The results showed a vertical stratification of the benthic macrofauna negatively correlated with the depth of the Merja Zerga lagoon intertidal sediments. The specific richness, density and biomass were concentrated at the surface layer of the sediments and shrink as we go more in depth. The polychaetes showed the most diverse distribution pattern along the three sedimentary layers. While the Bivalves dominated in term of biomass, the Gastropods dominated with regard to density. We observed also that the upper layer is mainly colonized by small species and / or individuals with high density and low biomass; this phenomenon is gradually reversed as we go more in depth. The sedimentary parameters (organic matter content and granulometry of the substrate) were not responsible for the variations observed in the distribution of the macrofauna along the sedimentary profile, as the vertical distribution of these factors was homogeneous to a depth of 20xa0cm.

Influence of age on the bioaccumulation of heavy metals in Apodemus sylvaticus at Merja Zerga lagoon, Morocco

The influence of age and sex on the bioaccumulation of heavy metals in Apodemus sylvaticus was studied in Merja Zerga lagoon in northern Morocco. Five trace metal elements (Zn, Pb, Cr, Cu and Fe) were quantitatively analyzed by Varian AA 240 atomic absorption spectroscopy with graphite furnace in three organs (Liver, Kidney and Heart) from animals of different age and sex. The maximum metal level of the analyzed samples was recorded in adults and was limited to 46.62u202fμg/g for Pb and 35.1u202fμg/g for Cu, while it reached 22.69u202fμg/g, 7.59u202fμg/g and 6.78u202fμg/g for Cr, Zn and Fe, respectively. Highly significant differences were found for bioaccumulation of heavy metals according to animal ages and no significant differences were observed between the two sexes among the studied animals. Our results revealed also the existence of a strong correlation (ru202f>u202f0.65) between the majority of biometric parameters and the trace element concentrations. In general, we found that age is a critical factor in estimating the level of heavy metal pollution. Other characteristics such as habitat, feeding habits and anti-predator behavior of the species need to be studied.

Notes on the distribution and phylogeography of two rare small Gerbillinae (Rodentia, Muridae) in Morocco: Gerbillus simoni and Gerbillus henleyi

Even though Gerbillinae rodents represent an important part of the mammalian fauna in North Africa, many gaps remain in our understanding of the distribution, ecology, evolution, and systematics of some lesser known species in this family. We present in this study the most recent findings on two of these species. The first species, Gerbillus simoni Lataste, 1881, is a short-tailed, small gerbil, endemic to North Africa. In Morocco, it is present only in a small area in the northeast, where it has not been caught since 1970. In 2014, we captured a small gerbil in this region that was identified as G.xa0simoni based on morphology and molecular data (cytochrome b gene sequencing). This study represents the first genetic characterization of G.xa0simoni in Morocco and the first one outside Tunisia. Populations from Morocco and Tunisia (mainland and Kerkennah Islands) show very little genetic differentiation. The second species, Gerbillus henleyi de Winton, 1903, is a long-tailed small gerbil that lives in the Sahel and North Africa with an extension to the Middle East. In Morocco, this species was only known in the southwest. Between 2014 and 2015, we have captured four gerbils in the northeast of the country, which were confirmed genetically and morphologically as belonging to this species. This represents an extension of its known distribution of about 370km to the northeast of the country. These new Moroccan specimens form a distinct lineage. High genetic diversity is observed throughout the geographic range of G.xa0henleyi, suggesting the existence of several cryptic species.

A euryhaline fish, lost in the desert: The unexpected metapopulation structure of Coptodon guineensis (Günther, 1862) in the Sebkha of Imlili

Euryhaline Cichlid fish of the species Coptodon guineensis are present in different water holes situated in a dried depression in the desert in the extreme South of Morocco, the Sebkha of Imlili. A genetic survey of this population, using complete sequences of the ND2 gene (mtDNA) and sixteen microsatellite loci, revealed that the fish in the sebkha did not form a single population, but rather a metapopulation. This metapopulational structure may be regarded as good news from the point of view of the conservation of fish in the sebkha. Although small individual populations may have short, finite life spans, the metapopulation as a whole is more stable, because immigrants from one population are likely to re-colonize the habitat, left open by the extinction of another.